Survey: How Serious Is Crime Against Foreigners?

[Scott]

How serious is crime against foreigners?

For the purpose of the survey, the following definitions are applicable:

Serious Crime: Murder, rape, kidnapping, being held against your will or bodily injury as a result of a crime, or a break-in and robbery.

Less serious crime would include, theft by deception, pickpocketing and crimes in which the person did not face possible bodily harm.

[webfact]

Feel free to vote and comment on the survey question.

[Puccini]

I have never been the victim of a crime during the ten years I lived and worked in Thailand and the the 30+ visits as a tourist after that, but I have once had a burglary in my house in Italy.

[chooka]

If you don't mention it or make it public the it's not prevelent

[SoilSpoil]

Thailand is a dangerous country with a high crime rate. As foreigners are integrating more and more, they will become part of the statistics as well. Stay safe.

[rasmus5150]

Been in Thailand since 1997, and the only disastrous thing/crime that has happened to me is the flooding of 2011, which I consider a crime because of incompetence and meddling from the government. Have been robbed twice in Cambodia though (pickpockets and bag-slashing).

[hanno]

Never feel unsafe, not something I can say about some other places.

[daveAustin]

"How Serious Is Crime Against Foreigners?"

Not very in the eyes of the natives.

[shirtless]

If we are talking about obtaining financial benefit by deception it happens everyday,

[chickin]

Divided almost 50/50. ~50% being, of course, dead wrong. Very dangerous place. Talking up a stock just because you've bought shares doesn't mean it's a good one. Pull your head out of the hedonous sands long enough and you will notice that they get medals for committing crimes against foreigners. Tough to compete with the propaganda machine that's foucsing its energies teaching disciples that foreigners are stupid and immoral. But the machine damn sure wants your money.

[kannot]

topic doesnt have enough answers really

[villagefarang]

Can't speak for others but in my 38 years of living in Thailand, I have never had a problem.

[BudRight]

Can't both the first and last options be true? Why are they exclusive?

[Yann55]

If we are talking about obtaining financial benefit by deception it happens everyday,

... and everywhere in the world.

[chiang mai]

The obvious missing response was something along the lines of, " it's far less of an issue here in Thailand, for foreigners, than in my home country".

[hobz]

I get violated in traffic every day. Besides that, my home city stockholm sweden is way more Dangerous.

[samsensam]

a number of my thai friends have had their bags snatched by motorcycle thieves and business owners constantly complain about their staff stealing money.

never experienced crime myself nor have any of my foreign friends unless you count the ones conned out of money be their gfs...

[Tanlic]

To a Glaswegian. Liverpudlian or a fisherman from Stavanger............Bangkok is as dangerous as a candy shop.

Pattaya? feels a bit more like home

[recycler]

We have been burgled big time in a guarded compound 5 years ago, my son was attacked last year with a broken bottle by a drunk local on a supposedly guarded compound resulting in 13 stitches in his face. I have reported both cases to the police, never heard anything about the burglary and the police was blocked by compound management to investigate the bottle attack as it appeared to be a drunk employee of the compound who left from a new year party for compound staff.

Several of my friends have been burgled, robbed or attacked and 1 murdered. In the 11 years I've been here I've been threatened a few times, but managed to avoid further escalation.

I know from personal observation and from family and colleagues that a shocking amount of people here carry weapons, including firearms.

So, yes Thailand is dangerous, stay far from drunk or otherwise intoxicated locals and or conflicts between locals.

I think at the moment it is about as dangerous for Thais as it is for foreigners, but I'm not completely confident it will stay this way given developments in Thailand.

Edited February 9, 2015 by recycler

[thurien]

<Crime against foreigners is no more common than in most Western countries>

yes, and in Europe it is mostly immigrants who commit crimes against foreigners (the foreign victims being: Brits, French, Germans, Austrians, Scandinavians, Italians, etc. in their own countries without any help from their national prosecutors because these instutitions long ago already had to accept dual law systems and are f...ing helpless)

[Tchooptip]

<Crime against foreigners is no more common than in most Western countries>

yes, and in Europe it is mostly immigrants who commit crimes against foreigners (the foreign victims being: Brits, French, Germans, Austrians, Scandinavians, Italians, etc. in their own countries without any help from their national prosecutors because these instutitions long ago already had to accept dual law systems and are f...ing helpless)

I'msorry I cannot call you a lier, I'm sorry Icannot say you'r wrong, I'm sorry to believe you are right!

[dotpoom]

"How Serious Is Crime Against Foreigners?"

Not very in the eyes of the natives.

First person that actually addressed the question.

[brucegoniners]

I voted for "no more prevalent" and actually I believe there is less crime here than in the USA where I'm from.

Of course in the states and in Bangkok (where I live) I stay out of areas of where I'm likely to have issues. It's called being smart.

I also know when I'm in a danger zone, like Pattaya and I'm extra vigilant. Which includes not staying out too late and not being so drunk when I'm alone that I'm an easy mark.

Unfortunately most victims don't follow those rules above.

[trainman34014]

If you include the Police as criminals there is a lot of crime against Farang. You are more likely to be ripped off by 'law enforcers' than by any other group.

[Thaijack2014]

My daughter lived for two years in Düsseldorf, Germany and was attacked by some criminal youngsters without any reason. A friend of hers was kicked into a coma. Shortly after that, she heard about a guy in her neighborhood who was kicked to death, just because he was from another foreign group.

Now she lives in Brazil: she was robbed by gunpoint from her iPhone and another time someone tried to get her car. Probably other occasions happened, but she doesn't tell about it. There nearly all houses have barbed wired fences, broken glass on top of the walls and all doors and windows are barred. But nobody seems to bother about that.

Three years ago she came with me on a trip to Bangkok. We went to Kaosarn Road and she met with some young guys with whom we spent a daytrip to Katchanaburi. Two of them were Brazilians. I had no problem in letting her go alone. She came back 4 am and didn't feel once threatened or otherwise. Any other place (except Japan) I would worry and not let her alone.

So.... I don't believe Thailand is so violent against foreigners like MOST other countries. Yes, they try to cheat your money out of your pocket, which most of the foreigners do so freely... but that's no violance.

This in daily normal life.. I'm not talking about barlife or midnight walks in dark alleys.

[IMA_FARANG]

I have traveled and lived all over the world in different countries.

I have been a victim of two "minor crimes".

Once I had my brief case stolen in New York City.

Once i had my wallet stolen by a pickpocket in Turkey.

Never in Thailand.

For the record i once accidentaly left my passport , my air ticket, and an envelope with some U.S. Dollars in a taxi in Bangkok.

I went to the neraest Police station to report the loss of my passport.

While I was there making a police report the driver of the taxi I left my stuff in came to the same police station to turn in the passport, the air ticket, and the money.

He remembered the hotel where here had dropped me off, and the hotel receptionist told him i had gone to the local police station to report the loss of my passport.

So the driver came looking for the "Farang" who left his stuff in his taxi.

[SoiBiker]

5. Crime against foreigners is less common than in most western countries.

Certainly compared to back in London, anyway.

These surveys are a nice idea, but they need to offer better options, and be less obviously designed to prove a preconceived notion.

[spidermike007]

Thailand is a dangerous country with a high crime rate. As foreigners are integrating more and more, they will become part of the statistics as well. Stay safe.

Absolute rubbish. I have never felt safer, anywhere in the world. I feel much more vulnerable to serious or violent crime anywhere in Los Angeles, and in many places in the US. Most of the crime here is Thai on Thai. With the exception of petty theft, overcharging, and things of that nature, I know very, very few that have been the victims of serious crime here. Very few. Where are you getting your information? How many of your friends have been shot lately? Or knifed? Or robbed at gunpoint? Get a life please.

[sailblue]

They obviously happen as reported but normally to tourists not my friends that live here. People that live here learn to avoid certain places, like walking in that park on the hill behind Bali Hai late at night, and avoid letting your feelings out when you are being ripped off.

Most problems that I would call serious are friends dying after not getting looked after at our main hospital, and being extorted by the BIB.

[CharlieH]

Its another case of it depending entirely on the location, Tourist areas heavy foot traffic etc will be totally different to rural towns.

Up here, in 10 years, have heard of a hand full of issues, which is nothing compared to the daily reporting in the likes of Pattaya or Bangkok etc.

The other point here is that rural areas dont have local news papers, so if something happens, unless a friend or family member hears about it then you would never know. Its only the television that reports on major issues or from reading on the internet on forums like this. Otherwise you would probably never know.